He was elected as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts in March 2011. The high-ranking body of experts elects and oversees the activities of the leader of the Islamic Revolution.

The senior Iranian official was also a founder and the leader of the Combatant Clergy Association, a prominent religious, cultural and political foundation formed with the objective of protecting the achievements of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani was a close ally of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Imam Khomeini, and played a key role in events that culminated in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

He also took up several important posts after the revolution, including the interior minister in the cabinet of second Iranian President Mohammad-Ali Rajai and member of several key government committees and councils.

The prominent cleric has written several books on a wide range of religious and scientific issues and was the founder and chairman of renowned Imam Sadeq University, which specializes in humanities.

Iran’s President has announced two days of national mourning over the senior cleric’s death.